Hill's long-term viability can only be achieved by a broad-based coalition of stakeholders creating an organizational entity that can become self-sufficient.

A multi-pronged strategy should focus in areas such as public spaces and infrastructure, marketing and programming, building a culture of innovation, cleanliness and safety, and organizational capacity such as a business improvement district or some other model.

The city is the entity to "prime the pump" by providing the financial support and staff resources to drive the initial momentum for the effort.

Strategy would have two phases: a shorter-term "Prime the Pump" phase to occur from 2014 to 2015, and a longer-term "Sustainable Strength" phase to occur starting in 2016 and going forward.

City staff members are in the process of developing an implementation plan, budget and timeline for the first phase and plan to submit an information packet to Boulder City Council during the first quarter.

Source: Boulder City Council Reference Notebook for 2014.

The glass front door of Abo's on the Hill last week displayed a sign stating simply the restaurant off 13th Street and College Avenue in Boulder was "Closed For The Holidays."

Inside the dark restaurant at 1124 13th St., wooden chairs were upturned on tables and a menu board still gave a hint of some specials to come.

The iconic pizza joint, however, is on an extended holiday. The man who founded Abo's Pizza -- a Colorado-based chain with nearly a dozen franchise-operated restaurants -- said the Hill pie shop is closed for good.

University Hill served as the birthplace for what would become Abo's Pizza, and it was the place where many long-time customers got introduced to the concept, said Steve Abo, who opened his first pie shop on Pleasant Street in 1977. Despite the attachment and the history, Abo doesn't know if he would put another restaurant in the small, pizza-shaped commercial district sandwiched between the University of Colorado and blocks of historic homes.

"The city has never come through with all the promises that they made to really (rehabilitate) the Hill," he said. "The city has never been able to -- for all their studies and for all their input -- they've never been able to do what's right," he said. "They've never been able to just drop city money into the Hill."

After a rash of recent Hill business closures -- among them the venerable Abo's and Espresso Roma -- and the implementation of regulations limiting liquor licenses in the area, some existing restaurant and shop owners say that the city of Boulder has hindered the beleaguered business district instead of providing support.

"Every single day we worry about the Hill, and every single day we worry that part of the city's governing (body) doesn't want to deal with the Hill," said Brian Buckley, co-owner of the Innisfree Poetry Bookstore and new owner of Buchanan's Coffee Pub.

At the city level, some movement is taking place that could spur broader-scale action on the Hill.

Some city staff members are drawing up a comprehensive "reinvestment strategy" plan aimed at aesthetically and financially kickstarting the struggling area. Additionally, a newly elected city council member has emerged as an advocate for the business district and is trying to drum up support for some zoning changes to allow for a greater diversity of firms and offerings in the area.

"Hopefully we can get people talking positively about the Hill; I think the Hill has a little bit of an image problem," said Andrew Shoemaker, a Boulder lawyer and 10-year Hill resident who was recently elected to Boulder City Council. " . . .We're dealing with a lot of throwing our hands up in the air saying, 'It's broke, and we can't fix it.'"

"We've got to try."

Need for diversity

Abo, who sold his Hill location in 2000 and who currently serves as the licensor of the Abo's brand, said he could not speak on behalf of the Hill location's owner as to the circumstances of the closure, but he classified it as a tough loss.

The north and south Boulder Abo's "stores are doing well; it's sad to see the Hill (location) go," he said. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how I can go up there again."

Abo lamented the closure of his and other long-time Hill businesses, rattling off the names of Jones Drug, Kinsley & Co., Espresso Roma and Tulagi.

Abo claimed the Hill has always been a tough environment in which to conduct business and was hurt by the city "meddling" instead of focusing on making even the most basic of improvements.

One quick fix, he said, would be to improve the "atrocious" lighting that creates a safety hazard.

"The lighting on the Hill has never been adequate, let alone good," he said.

Dakota Soifer, who opened up Café Aion at 1235 Pennsylvania Ave. in 2010, said his restaurant has quietly garnered a slew of accolades from the industry, but the vast majority of his patrons consist of residents and visitors who specifically seek out his business.

"We're a destination restaurant in a really (expletive) neighborhood," he said, expressing displeasure about the vacancies and the snow-laden, unplowed streets. "It's obvious that the Hill is not a priority to the city . . . it certainly does nothing to foster a vibrant community and increase the likelihood of growth."

Soifer said he recognizes some hurdles do exist in avenues to help the district, noting that the formation of a business improvement district could be more difficult because of the amount of different property owners on the Hill. He said he's hopeful that his business and others also could help attract new life to the area.

Buckley, the co-owner of Innisfree at 1203 13th St., said that in addition to city and university involvement, a revival in the district could come from businesses like his. He and his wife last year acquired the nearby Buchanan's Coffee Pub, 1301 Pennsylvania, and recently undertook a significant remodel to not only spruce up the nearly 20-year-old coffee shop, but also install a stage for readings and performances.

"We love the Hill, the diversity of the Hill the diversity of the university," he said, mentioning his wife and business partner, Kate Hunter. "We love the whole landscape. This should be embraced."

Bill Shrum, the former chair of the Uni-Hill Commercial Area Management Commission and current director of neighborhood relations for the CU Student Government, said he hopes to attract a different student mix to the Hill with the planned opening of Spark Boulder, a co-working space at 1310 College Ave.

Shrum envisions that the 5,000-square-foot space not only will appeal to students interested in starting a business, but also serve as an area for events such as a Conference on World Affairs panel, a community meeting or art event.

"There needs to be a precedent for how the Hill is going to be successful from 9 to 5 and from 5 o'clock on," he said.

Recovering from alcohol battles

Peter Richards, a Hill resident of 42 years, lauded the time when the Hill was a vibrant district and businesses such as Jones Drug catered to students and neighbors alike.

Through October 2013, the University Hill district contributed $863,013 in sales tax revenue to the city of Boulder, a decline of 1.77 percent from the same period a year before, according to city of Boulder financial data. The Hill district closed out 2012 with a 1.77 percent decline and 2011 with a 2.54 percent drop after a positive 2010 when the district reeled in $1.07 million, an increase of 2.74 percent.

Andy Schneidkraut, who has owned Albums on the Hill at 1128 13th St. for 27 of the subterranean record shop's 35-plus years, said University Hill is "genuinely struggling."

"We're paying the price for the attacks on the Hill's liquor licenses a number of years ago," he said.

About a decade ago, some Hill residents and business owners clashed as the local neighborhood group pushed to curtail operating hours and liquor licenses operating hours.

The liquor license-related actions and debates severely affected the health of the overall district, Schneidkraut said last week.

To revitalize the area, "I think you've got to begin with what you are and improve and enhance what you are as a place, as a destination," he said. "Unfortunately, some things occurred that destroyed what we were."

Last year, when the Boulder City Council proposed alcohol policy changes for the Hill, several business owners spoke against any regulations -- which potentially included limits on liquor licenses, operating hours and the types of alcohol served -- saying they would harm the economic vitality of the business district.

Under regulations unanimously approved by Boulder City Council members in October, businesses seeking new liquor licenses would be able to stay open until 11 p.m. and restaurants that want to stay open later would not be allowed to serve any alcohol.

Mark Heinritz, co-owner of The Sink, said he fears that the regulations might turn away new business from the area, but still hopes that the discussions can move beyond alcohol.

"Obviously, I've been somewhat frustrated for a while (about) why we even have to have a conversation about alcohol on the hill through this myopic lens of students drinking on the Hill when all the data points to problems with house parties," he said. "I'm tired of it, but they made a decision and it's where it's at now. At the Sink we'll keep doing the best we can to help put out there the best (to customers).

"But it is trying. I've been doing it over 20 years and I don't think I have another 20 years of fighting that same battle."

Potential solutions

Council member Shoemaker, who spoke against the regulations last year, said he's hopeful that the city, businesses and others can work within those rules to help create a vibrant district.

"I think the situation is ripe (for change), and perhaps the alcohol regulations will actually help by giving some people (who favored the restrictions) comfort and let people experiment," he said. "So let's go up there and experiment, do some different pilot things in the Hill business district to see how we can jump-start the area."

Shoemaker said he wants to preserve the Hill's feel, but increase the diversity of offerings by having more professional services and creative industry firms operate in the district. Highlighting new businesses such as Grenadier, an ad agency focused on "disruptive thinking and creativity" that opened at 1221 Pennsylvania, and the soon-to-be-opened Spark Boulder co-working space, Shoemaker said he hopes to build off that foundation.

The Hill and its proximity to CU could serve as an ideal locale for startups and other entrepreneurial businesses. Increasing the amount of professionals on the Hill would boost foot-traffic for existing restaurants and shops and create a more year-round business climate, he said. Shoemaker said he hopes to discuss his ideas further with other members at the Boulder City Council retreat that is taking place today and tomorrow.

"I want to ask council during the retreat, 'What are the tools the city has in its tool box to make that happen?'" Shoemaker said, noting one possibility might be zoning changes.

The retreat also could prove critical for the timing of another proposal.

City staff members are developing a comprehensive, multi-year University Hill Reinvestment Strategy as a means to help revitalize an area that the city considers one of its major business centers.

"It's widely acknowledged that there's some challenges there," said Molly Winter, executive director of Boulder's Downtown & University Hill Management Division and Parking Services. "Two, it's such a small area between the university campus and then the high-density residential and then the permanent (single-family) neighborhood.

"I think one of the struggles in the past is that it cannot be all things to all people."

Each of the different stakeholders -- the businesses, students, university, neighbors, property owners and city -- have varied ideas for the area, she said. To make a long-term change, those stakeholders have to come together in an organizational structure with the city playing a leadership role, she said.

Initial estimates call for about $8 million in city-funded investments that include upgrades to public spaces and infrastructure and a proposed installation of pedestrian-scale corridor lighting, she said.

Winter said the strategy calls for the city to "prime the pump" and build off what exists currently, which include more than $25 million in recent redevelopment projects; an existing, eclectic stock of restaurants and boutiques; and a proposal to built a multi-level underground parking garage off 14th Street and College Avenue.

"I think everyone, myself included, believes the Hill can be more than it is without losing its unique character, and it needs more people working together to make that happen," she said. "And I think that's what we're trying to work on -- trying to build the right coalition and organization that will sustain itself in the long-term."

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